Annapolis Opera closed its season May 16 with its annual vocal competition. At Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, the audience heard eight vocalists selected from more than 80 applicants who vied for $10,000 in prize money plus a study trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast. The competition boasted an unusual preponderance of male singers — three baritones, one bass, one tenor and one countertenor, with one mezzo-soprano and only one soprano in what is usually a crowded category.

Tuesday night on NBC's "The Voice," it was a battle between the singer who can dance and the dancer who can sing, between twee and bombastic, and the time-saving glory of the montage and my poor memory of "who the hell are these people. " TEAM CEE LO Cee Lo Green took to the field first, pairing of dancer/singer/model/whatever Domo against foul-mouthed, bleeping wonder Cody Belew with Lady Gaga and Beyonce's "Telephone. " (All Hail the Queens.) Cee Lo put it best: Cody's a singer who can dance, and Domo's a dancer who can sing, and he wanted to see who had the whole package.

Fourteen amateur vocalists from Baltimore City and Baltimore County will sing in the semifinal and final rounds of the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Walters Art Gallery, 600 N. Charles St.Sponsored by the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Art and Culture, the annual competition supports local emerging artists. The winner will receive $1,500 and will perform at Artscape this summer. Runners-up will receive $1,000 and $500.Each semifinalist will perform one song recorded by Holiday and one song of her own choice.

Annapolis Opera closed its season May 16 with its annual vocal competition. At Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, the audience heard eight vocalists selected from more than 80 applicants who vied for $10,000 in prize money plus a study trip to Italy's Amalfi Coast. The competition boasted an unusual preponderance of male singers — three baritones, one bass, one tenor and one countertenor, with one mezzo-soprano and only one soprano in what is usually a crowded category.

By Phil Greenfield and Phil Greenfield,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 5, 1998

The finals of Annapolis Opera's 10th annual Maryland Vocal Competition, held at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts Sunday afternoon, were proof that the local company is attracting high-caliber talent.Of the eight finalists, who had to be living or studying in Maryland to be eligible for the competition, five are high-quality singers, and there were things to like about the other three. Each of the three top finishers could have been named the winner with ample justification. It was that close.

By Mary Johnson and Mary Johnson,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 3, 2005

After judges last weekend narrowed a field of 61 vocalists to nine, the Annapolis Opera announced the finalists who will compete in Sunday's 17th annual vocal competition. Two are from Maryland, three are from Virginia and four are from Pennsylvania, with all nine possessing a strong educational background. The finalists are baritone Jason Kaminski and soprano Jung-A Lee, both of Maryland; soprano Leanne Gonzalez, baritone Nemeh Azzam and soprano Lori Lind, all of Virginia; and baritone James Kee, bass-baritone Damian Savarino, soprano Brenda Atzinger and tenor Jinho Hwang, all of Pennsylvania.

It will be an operatic battle when three competitors sing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center tomorrow.They are finalists in the Marian Anderson International Vocal Competition, which began a week ago at the University of Maryland, College Park. Among the 35 contestants were singers from Lebanon, Korea, Japan, Britain and the United States.The finalists are Barbara Quintiliani, a 22-year-old soprano from Dorchester, Mass.; Tigran Martirosian, a 29-year-old bass from Russia; and Eleni Matos, a 33-year-old mezzo-soprano from Clearwater, Fla. They were chosen from a field of 12 semi-finalists by an international jury.

Somewhere between the tempo-setting finger snaps and the final swoosh of her long, coffee-colored dress, Georgene Fountain, with a steady, soulful voice, brought Lady Day back to Baltimore yesterday. Belting out her Gershwin selections like a star, the Germantown resident took the top prize in yesterday's Billie Holiday Vocal Competition, an annual event tied to Artscape in which 10 singers croon standards recorded by the jazz legend who was raised in Fells Point. Fountain, the last competitor to take the stage at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, sang so much like Holiday that Carine Babalola couldn't wait for the final note of "Embraceable You" to clear the air before she stood to applaud.

The Baltimore Opera Company is accepting applications for the 32nd Vocal Competition for North American operatic artists. More than $35,000 in scholarship awards, cash stipends and contract support will be awarded, including a $20,000 Meistersinger Award for four months of study with Carlo Bergonzi in Italy, and the $10,000 Bel Canto Award presented by the Baltimore Opera Guild with full scholarship to the AIMS Academy in Austria.Preliminary auditions will be held May 30. Semifinals and finals will be held May 31 and June 1 at the Peabody Conservatory.

By MARY JOHNSON and MARY JOHNSON,Special to The Sun | February 6, 2008

The Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition might be called the hometown version of American Idol, except here all of the opera contestants displayed fine voices -- and the trio of tough judges required them to sing in at least two languages. The 20th annual Vocal Competition finals concert on Sunday was free, through a grant from the Helena Foundation. The audience at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts matched Idol audiences in enthusiasm, and had the edge in classical music knowledge. Unlike Idol, no contestant left empty-handed, each receiving cash prizes of at least $500 with the top prize $2,500 awarded to encourage further study.

By MARY JOHNSON and MARY JOHNSON,Special to The Sun | February 6, 2008

The Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition might be called the hometown version of American Idol, except here all of the opera contestants displayed fine voices -- and the trio of tough judges required them to sing in at least two languages. The 20th annual Vocal Competition finals concert on Sunday was free, through a grant from the Helena Foundation. The audience at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts matched Idol audiences in enthusiasm, and had the edge in classical music knowledge. Unlike Idol, no contestant left empty-handed, each receiving cash prizes of at least $500 with the top prize $2,500 awarded to encourage further study.

Sharon Clark was no longer a bespectacled 45-year-old receptionist yesterday. Dressed in a shimmering black-and-gold striped top, Clark stood onstage of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall channeling Billie Holiday. With eyes shut and hips swinging, she sang "Just Friends" in a rich, deep voice, sprinkling in scat phrases and electrifying the audience, which rose in a standing ovation. "Just friends, lovers no more. Just friends, but not like before," crooned Clark, the winner of the annual Billie Holiday Vocal Competition, who was accompanied by a pianist.

Shar?n Clark, a 45-year-old Prince George's County woman, took top honors at the Billie Holiday Vocal Competition yesterday. Clark, a professional singer who is a receptionist by day, impressed the judges with her rendition of "Secret Love" in the final round. The competition, now part of the Artscape festival, is a celebration of Holiday's life and music. "This is the emotion woman to me," said Clark, when asked what drew her to Holiday's singing. "I think she felt everything she sang.

By Mary Johnson and Mary Johnson,Special to The Sun | January 31, 2007

Think of Annapolis Opera's Vocal Competition as a hometown version of American Idol - except the tough judges are never rude in evaluating contestants. A record number of 90 aspiring singers from the Mid-Atlantic region auditioned last weekend for a trio of judges: sopranos Jean Carter and Charlotte Wesley and Annapolis Opera music director Ronald J. Gretz. Victoria Waidner, an Annapolis Opera spokeswoman, said the organization was thrilled with the turnout. "We put the announcement on our Web site this year, and that helped.

Somewhere between the tempo-setting finger snaps and the final swoosh of her long, coffee-colored dress, Georgene Fountain, with a steady, soulful voice, brought Lady Day back to Baltimore yesterday. Belting out her Gershwin selections like a star, the Germantown resident took the top prize in yesterday's Billie Holiday Vocal Competition, an annual event tied to Artscape in which 10 singers croon standards recorded by the jazz legend who was raised in Fells Point. Fountain, the last competitor to take the stage at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, sang so much like Holiday that Carine Babalola couldn't wait for the final note of "Embraceable You" to clear the air before she stood to applaud.

With her silky green dress catching the early afternoon breeze and her voice soaring strong above it, Debbie Poole serenaded Baltimore yesterday. On Saturday, the Reisterstown FedEx worker claimed the top prize in the Mayor's Billie Holiday Vocal Competition, an annual event in which singers conjure the spirit of the late jazz legend whom Baltimore claims as its own. This is the 16th year of the tribute, and the first where it was held as part of...

By Phil Greenfield and Phil Greenfield,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 10, 2000

Lovers of controversy and intrigue must have found it slow going at the Annapolis Opera's 12th annual vocal competition at Maryland Hall Sunday afternoon. By the time the judges had put the eight young singers through their paces, the winner, the two runner-ups and the proper ordinal ranking for the top three finishers couldn't have been clearer. Soprano Angela Fout, a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and a student at New York City's Juilliard School, overshadowed the rest of the field with the lustrous maturity of her voice and her artistic presence.

By Mary Johnson and Mary Johnson,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | February 3, 2005

After judges narrowed a field of 61 vocalists to nine last weekend, the Annapolis Opera announced the finalists who will compete in Sunday's 17th annual vocal competition. Two are from Maryland, three are from Virginia and four are from Pennsylvania, with all nine possessing a strong educational background. The finalists are baritone Jason Kaminski and soprano Jung-A Lee, both of Maryland; soprano Leanne Gonzalez, baritone Nemeh Azzam, and soprano Lori Lind, all of Virginia; and baritone James Kee, bass-baritone Damian Savarino, soprano Brenda Atzinger, and tenor Jinho Hwang, all of Pennsylvania.